Badminton

Nguyễn Thuỳ Linh is Việt Nam's top hope in badminton at the 32nd SEA Games next month. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Nguyễn Thuỳ Linh, a rising star of Vietnamese badminton, is looking to make history at the 32nd SEA Games.

The pressure is on for Linh and her teammates, as they strive to bring home not one but two medals in the fiercely competitive arena of Southeast Asian badminton.

Indonesia and Malaysia have long dominated the sport in the region, with Thailand hot on their heels. But Linh's recent impressive performances have put her in the spotlight and made her a strong contender for the gold medal.

Despite the reputation of their growing sport, Việt Nam has never won a title at the SEA Games. Their best result came last Games when they secured three bronze medals. This year, the task falls to Linh and her younger teammates to carry the weight of expectations for their country.

Linh, now in her fifth Games, has yet to win an individual medal but with her determination and skill, she could very well be the one to break Việt Nam's badminton curse and bring home the gold.

“I was expecting a lot," said Linh. "I created pressure for myself. It led to my poor result last May. The failure is a big lesson for me and helps me develop stronger.”

It has been a year since then and Linh has had success in both local and international competitions.

She dominated the domestic championship, and in five international tournaments, she came second in the Bendigo International 2022 and the Thailand International Challenge 2023. She won the Belgian International 2022, the Vietnam Open 2022 and Vietnam International Challenger 2023.

It pushes Linh to the world No 35, the highest ranking in her career.

“Linh is at the Asian level," said coach Chu Việt Bắc. "She is a weapon of Việt Nam hunting for the country’s first gold medal."

“However, she still has confidence problems while competing. We have to fix this problem to help her improve.”

In Cambodia, Linh will face strong rivals such as Lalinrat Chaiwan and Supanida Katethong of Thailand, and Esther Nurumi Tri Wardoyo of Indonesia.

Linh is one of 16 Vietnamese athletes to compete in the 32nd Games.

Other athletes who could make a name for themselves on the regional stage are Nguyễn Hải Đăng, Lê Đức Phát and rising star Vũ Thị Anh Thư.

Nguyễn Hải Đăng is expected to help Việt Nam succeed at the Cambodian Games. — Photo baodantoc.vn

Đăng just replaced legend Tiến Minh in the national No 1 position last month. He is world No 152, while Minh, who dominated the place for 21 years, is No 155. In 2022, Đăng finished third in an open tournament in Latvia and grabbed silver from the Croatia Open.

Phát meanwhile took a silver from the Vietnam International Challenge last month. He is currently world No 169.

Thư showed her potential after a third place in the Latvian tournament after winning titles from open events in Croatia and France in 2022.

Athletes will compete in seven out of eight events from May 8-16 at the Badminton Hall in the Morodok Techo National Sports Complex in Phnom Penh.

The hosts added an event of mixed teams to the competition list but attached a special regulation.

As approved by Badminton Asia, the organisers said the event is only open for Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Brunei and Timor Leste, who have never won a single medal in badminton before.

“It is the first time this event has been organised in the regional sports meet," said Khoa Trung Kiên, head of the Badminton Department of the Việt Nam Sports Administration." Teams will compete in five matches of men’s and women’s singles and doubles and mixed doubles. The side who wins three games will win the match.”

He said having no right to compete in this event would not affect Việt Nam’s medal target. VNS